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Every now and then a truly special and highly unique film paves its way onto the cinema scene. Among these films stands Memoirs of a Geisha. A film so beautiful and poignant that it demands your every ounce of attention. I'm sure to some it sounds like I'm overselling this. But in all honesty, this is just one of those films that is truly brilliant. And in the most subtle way.

I can't begin to describe how much love and admiration I have for this wonderful and one of a kind film. It is so well made. And so well directed. And the actors all give fine performances.

I especially love the art direction, cinematography and score. They all complement…

him: say it me: say what? him: say those magical words... me: *clears throat* A story like mine should never be told, for my world is as forbidden as it is fragile. Without it's mysteries, it cannot survive. I certainly wasn't born into the life of a geisha. Like so much in my strange life, I was carried there by the current... him: uhhhh that's not really what I meant- me: *a fraction louder* It is not for geisha to want. It is not for geisha to feel. him: i really don't know what you're- me: *much louder* After all, these are not the memoirs of an empress, nor of a queen... him: please stop- me: *at full volume* These are memoirs of a different kind.

Let me get this straight: the director and his home boys went through all this trouble to find Asian A-list actors who were willing to participate in this shlock master project, even if the story is about as soulless and plastic as your average soap opera and the characters are mainly defined by the goals or desires that are driving them and how underwhelmingly overblown their emotional reactions are (no, I didn't know "underwhelmingly overblown" was a thing either before I watched this movie) ...

... but at the end of the day, they couldn't have them speak Japanese and instead made them speak English – with a Chinese accent to boot – despite the fact that it takes place…

This movie is good. But, personally I found the English spoken dialogues very very pointless and distracting in a Japanese world setting. Good God they used Japanese in some of the dialogues, why not the whole movie as well? I know this is a Hollywood production movie but still...a full movie in Japanese language wouldn't be so bad, would it? At least I'm saved by Michelle Yeoh's deep & soothing voice.

Director Rob Marshall brings old Japan to life in his stunning movie masterpiece. Every shot is iconic and gorgeous. Memoirs of a Geisha is a masterclass in beautiful filmmaking. You have never seen another movie like it. Memoirs of a Geisha is touching on a deeper level.

Thematically, viewers are gifted a thoughtful depiction of cruelty and kindness. We see the value of perseverance in the face of adversity. The audience is forced to grasp the life of a young girl that must deal with enslavement, poverty, starvation, abuse, rape, and cruelty. The girl that transforms into a geisha. She only wishes for kindness and love in a difficult world. I am still…

Beautifully crafted film with sublime use of shadows and colour, hampered by some dumb Hollywood bros decision to not only have have Chinese actors play Japanese characters, but also have them speak in forced English accents because apparently people can’t read anymore. 6.8/10

Even with all of the factual errors and the movie being racially insensitive (Asians are not interchangeable) this remains a favorite of mine. Can’t believe this is my first rewatch in 4 years. I absolutely love it and Gong Li makes a magnificent performance for such a minor role/character

Period piece about a young girl's struggles to become a prominent geisha and buy back her freedom. Had a hard time staying interested for the first hour or so, but once they moved into Suyuri's contest, I was hooked. The decision to have Asian-born actors speaking English throughout was, in my opinion, not the best idea; too often their accents made it difficult to understand the dialogue and I finally had to turn on the subtitles anyway to make sure I knew what they were saying.